Six Billion Souls
by PinkCottonCandyCane
Summary: The Kishin is being reborn. Black Blood has become a plague. Medusa has a new host. MakaxSoul, SteinxMarie, SpiritxKami, Fem!CronaxKid, etc. Rated for Graphic Scenes/Content/Situations.
1. Episode One

**I'll provide you with a couples list at the end of this chapter. I would normally put it right before the Disclaimer. But if I did, I'd be giving away a lot of things that are going to be revealed in the chapter below. So I'll just put it at the bottom of the story. ;) And, incase you were about to scroll to the end of the story to find out the couples, you're about to ruin the first chapter of this story for yourself.**  
**SIDE NOTE: THIS STORY TAKES PLACE THREE YEARS AFTER THE BATTLE WITH ASURA. THEREFORE, CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS WILL DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THEIR ORIGINAL APPEARANCES.**  
**PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT IF A CHARACTER IS NOT DESCRIBED ENTIRELY (ATTIRE/FACIAL) IN THIS CHAPTER THEY WILL BE DESCRIBED IN FUTURE ONES.**  
**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater!**

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**_At this moment there are 6,470,818,671 people in the world._**

The remaining students were only partially obscured by an elaborate forest of trees that grew around the academy. Some were coughing into their hands, the toxin pumping through their veins, invading their once pure bloodstreams. Others had passed the first stages and were screaming their heads off, dark blood running from their eyes and lips. And then there were the ones that were long past even that. They tilted their heads back and laughed aloud, grins plastered on their blood-streaked faces, their eyes crazed and darting about.

The ones that had reached stage two clung to the remaining, healthy staff, cries leaving their lips as they begged for a cure, a medicine, something to ease the pain that their bodies writhed in.

Marie felt a hand on her shoulder as tears began to stream down her own face, pity and regret reflecting in her amber eyes. She didn't need to look over her shoulder. She already knew that it was her Meister, preparing to tell her that she needed to leave. As badly as she wanted to turn and wrap him in a warm embrace, she shook his hand off of her shoulder, keeping her eyes downcast.

From the corner of her eye, she saw his luminous green orbs widen in surprise, shocked at his usually kind Weapon's actions, even if it was the mere shake of her shoulders. She wasn't one to decline her peers, she'd always been the 'nice' one. "I'm fine, Stein," Marie stated bluntly, already walking away. She felt a strong hand wrap around her wrist, bringing her to a halt.

"You're lying," He said, refusing to loosen his grip. "You need to go home before you get infected, Marie. It's dangerous for you to-"

A loud cry sounded across the clearing, making their heads snap in their direction, yet Stein's hold didn't fade from her wrist. A gasp left Marie as she stumbled on her own feet, nearly falling over. "Is that," She didn't finish her sentence, trailing off as she watched as Azusa tried to subdue the raging Death Scythe, finally succeeding in pinning him down by his shoulders. Nygus yanked up the dark sleve of his shirt, not caring to apply any antiseptic. She plunged the needle through the man's tan skin, pressing down on the syringe so that the red-tinted liquid entered his infected bloodstream.

The man's cries slowly ceased, but they could still see his chest heaving up and down as Azusa attempted to bring him over to the second-degree area, half-carrying, half-dragging him behind her. Her glasses had slid down the bridge of her nose, her shirt was soaked in dark blood and she visibly twitched from time to time, presumably spooked by her fellow Death Scythe's rogue behavior.

They got a closer look at the man as she passed by them.

His ruby locks were matted, his eyes were closed, his face was flushed. Sweat ran from his brow and blood dripped off of his chin, emerging from his lips. And his signature, cross-styled tie was soaked in his own blood.

Stein muttered the name of his former Weapon, green eyes wide as he caught sight of the trail of blood that wilted the green grass, following the Death Scythe,"Spirit..."

**_Some are running scared._**

Maka coughed, blood staining her white glove as she covered her hand with her palm. She felt light-headed. All of this smoke and screaming and chaos couldn't have been good for anyone, especially someone that liked to remain calm like her. Her eyes darted over to the trio across from her.

"What're you guys doing here," Soul finally asked, patting his Meister on the back upon seeing the bloodied glove. He discarded it into the trashbin that they'd passed only seconds before, eyes narrowed in irritation.

"We're tryin' to find survivors," Patti flexed what little muscles she had in her slender arms, giggling the entire time. Kid gave her a look before turning to face the other Meister.

"This smoke is highly dangerous," Kid explained, watching as Soul practically snatched Maka off her feet and drug her over to where they were, a clean patch on the basketball court. "It appears to be giving students... An odd mixture of Black Blood and Madness." A shiver ran down each of their spines at that moment. Soul couldn't help it, his eyes drifted downwards, almost as though he could see the scar through his shirt. "It's being classified as a plague currently, but I doubt that it won't escalate into an epidimic before the day's over. Some of the most successful Meisters and Weapons are even being infected."

"What can we do to help?"

"You can find survivors, as Patti stated not seconds ago," Kid said, glaring in the direction of the Weapon in question.

Maka glanced over at Patti, watching as she smiled again. Her eyes drifted over to Patti's silent sister. The world became muted as Liz crumbled to the ground, screaming bloody murder. A shriek left Patti as she too stumbled back, fright clear in her youthful eyes as she watched her sister slam her own head repeatedly into the concrete. Kid was trying to stop the raging Weapon alongside Soul, who had disappeared from Maka's side. Soul snapped his head upwards, his red eyes gleaming and his white hair falling over his eyes. He was yelling something at her, his muted voice slowly reaching her ears. "-ka! Go find su-ors! R-n!" The words were butchered in several places, yet she understood him.

She turned on her heel and darted down the smokey alley, covering her nose and mouth with her clean, gloved hand. She yanked off the bloodied one with her teeth, careful not to get any of the blood in her mouth. She didn't know how that would help, with the blood already coursing through her viens.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she reached the end of the alley, watching as a building erupted in flames further down the street. Maka could only look on in horror as the shop's display window burst open, an all too familiar pair stepping out and onto the concrete. Kim's eyes were glowing bright red, blood streaking the left side of her face, emerging from her bright eyes. In her hands, she held Jacqueline in her hands, having morphed into her weapon form. But the usual, orange fire that came from her was now a firey black, edged with a ghostly purple.

A child ran across the street, a doll clutched tightly in her hand, crying out for her 'mommy.' A loud, sadistic laugh left Kim as she lifted Jacqueline, the child freezing in place. Maka reacted on instinct, running forward and snatching the child up in her arms in her haste. She continued their trek across the cobblestone street, placing the child in the care of a bystander that the child ran up to in open arms.

Kim's laughter died down as Maka glanced over her shoulder, emerald eyes wide. Kim looked dumb-struck, her mouth slightly agape as she stared at her fellow Meister. Loud crackling noises came from the building behind Kim, signaling that it would gave in soon. Kim's once joyful expression twisted into a scowl, her teeth bared.

Maka pondered over her choices; fight, run, or distract them until the building caved in on itself, hopefully taking the Witch and the Weapon down with it. She mentally scolded herself, knowing that she and Kim may not have had a 'friendship,' but they weren't 'enimies' either. She couldn't help it, her eyes drifted over to her side out of habit. If Soul had been there, she definitely would have fought. If she stayed in the smokey area for much longer, she would, without a doubt, enter the second stage of the plague. That left one last choice. She turned tail and ran back down the alley, not caring to look back at the infected pair.

She already knew they'd follow her.

_**Some are coming home.**_

"Hello?"

"Ah, Meister Kami. I'm terribly sorry to bother you."

"Oh, I don't mind, Lord Death."

"Where are you?"

She glanced at her surroundings. She stood on the edge of a dusty, limestone rooftop, holding a square of glass in her hands. She gave a confused frown,"India, why?" Her bright green eyes narrowed slightly, a suspicious feeling growing in her core. "What's wrong?" The worry was clear in her voice as she tightened her grip on the glass, her eyes darting from each corner of the picture within it, searching for answers in the mask. He never, ever called her to just 'talk.' Something bad must have happened. Something very, very bad.

"I'm afraid something grave has come up."

The glass slipped from her fingertips as her world began to spin. Shaking her head violently, she whipped around and ran straight for the roof's exit.

**_Some tell lies to make it through the day._**

"Stop it, Blackstar!"

She felt a sudden, swift kick to her stomach, enough force behind it to cause her to kneel over, clutching her stomach. She was covered in the dark blood, her attire soaked. But she was careful to get hurt. One cut and she was surely done for. The blood would seep into the wound, pushing back her own, crimson blood.

Tsubaki's hair had been pulled out of it's ponytail, her mid-back length hair sticking to the right side of her face, blocking her vision. Her thick hair failed to block the view of her seething Meister, a smug look evident on his bloodied face. He'd suceeded in covering her in the thick, black liquid. But she wouldn't turn. Her body was stubborn, that was for sure.

"Blackstar," She pleaded, tears welling in her eyes. "Please stop it. This isn't good for anyone. You don't want to do this."

She saw a familiar look in his dark green eyes, a bit of hope swelled in her chest. But, as he looked up at her, she let out a shriek of terror. His pupils were in the shape of stars, his lips curled up so that she could see a toothy grin,"But it sure is fun."

He ran at her again, her arms flying up to block her face as his hands curled into tight fists.

**_Others are just not facing the truth._**

Crona didn't like the way he was able to stare her down, her body trembling as she stood before Lord Death. Her attire consisted of a longsleved, knee-length, black dress. The sleves were a bit too long, coming down to cover Crona's arms until only her fingertips were visible. She wore black leggings beneath the dress, the leggings disappearing into military boots that she'd been provided with a few months prior. Ragnarok sat on her pink-haired head, silent for once.

"There's no way I could handle that," Crona muttered under her breathe, failing to notice the way the Shinigami's eyes narrowed at her. She'd grown out of her stuttering habit over the years, not that it didn't make a reappearance when she was nervous. Here she was, doubting herself again, staring down at her feet and shuffling uncomfortably.

"You could very well be the only answer to our problem, Crona," He explained, careful not to raise his voice. The last thing he needed was for the girl to become scared and begin stuttering like there was no tomorrow. Or, worse, cause the annoying entity that rested ontop of her crown to cut into their conversation. "You could save millions of people. You've grown accustomed to Black Blood, as well as the full extent of Madness itself."

"I-I," She stopped herself when the voice of one of her friends shot through the room. She lifted her head as Shinigami turned around, glaring into the mirror with wide eyes.

Kid had appeared on the large mirror, blood running from his hairline. In the background, Soul was trying to hoist an uncoinscious Liz off of the ground, blood dripping from his chin. Patti's usually joyful face was tear-streaked, the lines a faint pink due the blood that was trying to emerge from her blue eyes. She had one of her sister's arms draped over her shoulders, trying to help Soul. But she was only succeeding in pushing Liz's weight onto Soul, causing him to topple over as both Liz and Patti lost balance.

"Father," Kid's voice was raspy as he panted. There was no doubt in Crona's mind, Kid had been the one to subdue Liz. "Liz has succumbed to the plague." She couldn't help it, her eyes widened, her white pupils dialating in her shock. She even felt Ragnarok tWitch above her, just as suprised as his Meister. "Have you found a cure yet?"

The Shinigami moved to the side, looking back at the fragile teenage girl. Her eyes downcast, she exhaled.

"He has."

**_Some are evil men, at war with good._**

Eruka followed behind the werewolf, her eyes glancing down each abandoned hallway. They hadn't been here since she died, not since she had left them. "Aren't you scared?"

"It's not like she's haunting the place."

"You know damn well that isn't what I meant, Free," She pouted, shrieking a bit when he stopped infront of her, causing for her to run into his back. Blushing, she jumped back, her eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment. She watched as he suddenly took off down the hallway to the right of them, disappearing into the darkness.

Eruka gasped, staring down the hallway as she cowered. "Free," She called out, cringing as she awaited a reply. When she didn't get one, she sighed and held her hands out before her. 'If he's just pulling my leg, I'll never forgive him,' She thought to herself as she made her way down the shadowed hallway, making sure her fingertips skirted the wall the entire time.

As the dimly lit lair, she spotted Free standing at the corner of the tapestry that was sprawled out on the floating platform. "Finally, 'bout damn time you got here," He scowled, watching as she cautiously made her way onto the floating block herself.

She sat down cross-legged before the crystal ball, like she'd seen Medusa do at least a dozen times before. "Do you know how to operate it or not?" She ignored her werewolf companion, focusing on the thick crystal shell that sat before her.

Her hair was still long and white, the corners of her lips still marked by two large spots. Only her spotted dress and boots remained in her attire, her cap and leggings missing.

The crystal ball slowly began to pulse, showing a somewhat blurry picture to them as Free leaned over her shoulder to get a better look, his breath hot against her bare skin. "What the hell is that," He asked curiously, eyes narrowing at the blurry picture.

"It kinda looks like," Eruka couldn't pin her finger on it. She focused until her head began to ache. "Smoke."

**_And some are good, struggling with evil._**

Maka frowned as she trugged through the contaminated water. At least the plague had yet to make it into the city's sewers. She froze, slapping her forehead. Was she actually praising the sewer's confined space?

Thankfully, she'd lost Kim and Jacqueline. But that didn't mean that her situation didn't stink, literally. She'd managed to pull off a sewer cap and drop into it, landing swiftly on her feet. She had pulled the cap back onto the opening before making her way through the dark sewer.

The only thing she had to light her way was a miniature, key-chain flashlight that Tsubaki had given her. Of course, being the kind person she was, she held onto it. Now, after nearly an hour of treading through slime, the light was beginning to flicker. She'd have to come up sometime. Whether it was for clean oxygen or to help more refugees.

It suddenly occured to her that the oxygen she was looking forward to may be clean. Afterall, the reason she hadn't resurfaced before was due to the small specks of light being light orange from fires. Maybe the only clean air was in the sewers now. She gagged at the mere thought. She could not, would not, live in the sewers for the rest of her life. She'd rather take her chances with the plague.

Her blouse was tied around her waist, leaving her in a dark red tanktop. Her skirt left her legs exposed, and if it weren't for her combat boots, she would've been stained a greenish brown by now. Her exposed skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat, her hair sticking to her forehead. How she wished she could pull her ash blonde locks into a ponytail...

She saw the familiar specks of light emerging from beneath another sewer cap. But the light wasn't orange. A wide smile came onto her face. She would've ran to the cap if it weren't for the green slime that had begun to cake the soles of her shoes.

She had to stand on her tiptoes, barely managing to slide the heavy lid off halfway. She'd never been so happy for being slender. She hoisted herself up with a grunt of effort, finally managing to crawl out of the hole.

Maka edged the sewer cap back into place, cautious not to slide back into the sewer in the process.

Clapping her now bare hands together, she glanced at her surroundings. She'd ended up in one of tunnels that skirted under bridges. Much to her liking, she didn't see any black smoke on either side of the tunnel. She began to run across the pavement, her blouse loosing it's hold on her waist and falling to the ground. Maka couldn't care anyless at the moment.

When the sunlight hit her skin, she finally inhaled the clean air. No smoke equaled no plague, at least in her state of mind. Wiping off her forehead, she grabbed hold of a street lamp's pole to steady herself. She felt a sudden, sharp pain in her hand. Snapping her head back to the street lamp, her eyes caught sight of the black and green striped snake, her emerald eyes wide.

The snake had sunk it's sharp fangs deep into Maka's skin. With a yelp, she yanked her hand away, causing the snake to go flying. She finally got a good look at it. The green stripes were vector arrows. Of course, the discovery didn't have an effect on the young Meister, instead frowning. She observed her hand.

No blood seeped from the wound. In fact, there wasn't even a wound. It looked as though nothing had happened. Her heartbeat filled her ears. No.

It wasn't her heart beat. The heart beat was slow and calm, it wasn't fast and racing like her own.

Two points in her hand, presumably where she'd been bit, was glowing a light green beneath the flesh. The two specks of light inched up her arm like toxin, invading her body with their arrow-tipped light.

Maka could only let out an ear-piercing scream as her body erupted in pain.

**_Six billion people in the world._**

"Mifune!"

He'd learned many things about Witches over the years. For example: Witches had reduced aging processes. The young Witch he'd sworn to protect wasn't even a child, she currently was twenty one years of age. Witches undergo a metamorphisis once they turn eighteen, commonly known as puberty in human terms. Critically speaking, Witches didn't take on the appearance of a teenager until they went through their metamorphisis. In Angela's case, she had believed Mifune knew about Witches. And he appearentally didn't.

_"Mifune!"_

_He was up the staircase in seconds, swinging the door the child's bedroom open in seconds. His sword was in hand, ready to fend off whomever was attacking the Witch. Rather than finding such, he found a teenage girl that greatly resembled the young witch sitting in the middle of the bed, wrapped in a white sheet. His eyes suddenly found a bright red liquid seeping through the white fabric, staining it._

_"I'm bleeding to death!" She wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks._

_All Mifune could do was stand in the doorway, staring awkwardly at the Witch with a deep blush covering his cheeks. There was nothing he could say to make this any less uncomfortable._

The young Witch ran up to the samurai, holding out her hands to show him a glowing orb of bright yellow light,"I made a bomb!"

He wasted no time in reacting, picking up the orb from the girl's hands and throwing it in the direction of the pond before them. In seconds, the pond's water sky rocketed, showering them in water. Mifune didn't look very happy, but Angela had a smile on her face. "Cool, huh?"

"Dangerous, yes," He replied before leaning back into the blossom tree, staring down at the child.

She actually looked her age, her mid-back length brown hair pulled up into a ponytail that kept her bangs out of her face. Her violet eyes were bright and her face now had some detail to it, no longer that of a five year old's. She wore a black dress that left her shoulders exposed and spread out like a skirt at the waist. It stopped just above her knees. She wore a maroon ribbon around her neck as an accessory. Her feet were bare, her nails painted a smooth maroon.

It wasn't long now until she'd be able to take care of herself, in Witch terms at least. But with all the 'dangerous' items she was conjuring, he wasn't sure that it was right around the corner. Every once and a while, he came to the conclusion that she was only doing it to make sure he stuck around.

_"Mifune," She caught him by surprise and hugged him. "Please don't leave. We're a family now."_

Angela plopped down in the lush green grass, crossing her arms with a huff. A smile tugged at the corner of Mifune's lips. With another huff, she extended her arms out to the side and laid out, staring up at the blossoms in the trees with her lips pursed. "Why didn't you become a teacher at the DWMA?"

"Because I have more important things to tend to."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Yes it is."

Mifune shut his mouth at that, his head turning to look at the other side of the lake. He heard the snap of another twig emerge from the opposing thicket of blossom trees. He picked up the sword at his side, his brown eyes narrowing as they scanned the trees. Angela sat up from her spot on the ground, her eyes narrowing as she looked across the pond as well. "What is it," She asked, glancing up at the samurai. He stepped infront of her, clasping the handle of his sword in his hand. "Mifune?"

She slowly stood, inching closer to her friend. She clutched the back of his white sweater in her hands, peering across the lake from behind his arm. She let out a squeak as she heard a branch snap, her grip tightening on his shirt. Her heart had begun to race the second he grabbed hold of his sword.

A cat, black-furred and wearing what looked to be a hat tilted it's head, acknowledging them. Angela let out a laugh, giving the samurai a playful shove. "It's just a kitty," She stuck out her tongue at him, but he didn't set down his sword until the cat gave a hiss and vanished back into the thicket, the sound of it's paws eventually disappearing from their earshot.

"That cat had glowing red eyes," Mifune commented, slowly setting his sword back down and relaxing his shoudlers.

Angela raised a brow but didn't say a thing, instead staring at the samurai as he took a seat next to her, still alerted by the cat's appearance.

_**Six billion souls.**_

"Stein," Marie said, grabbing onto his coat's sleve. "They just brought in Liz. We need to get her situated." Stein was stuck in a trance as he turned, their eyes meeting for a second before he turned to look in the direction of the EAT students. Liz had been placed on a cot, her hair fanning out around her body.

Her body was covered in splotches of blood. Her outfit still matched her sisters; a lavender and grey striped halter top and white jeans marking her body. Her hat was missing, though. Patti, who had tried to hover close, was being restrained by one of the many DWMA soldiers, not caring to put up a fight. She knew she couldn't hold a candle to the soldier's strength.

Stein, lead by Marie's hand on his arm, was lead over to his student. He observed her, watching as her breathing slower, her face twisting into a picture of agony. "Hand me the syringe," He muttered, his voice barely audible as he held out his hand. Sighing, Marie took the syringe from Nygus, handing it over to her unstable Meister.

He may have been a bit sadistic at times, but at least he knew what he was doing when it came to medical problems.

_**And sometimes...**_

Crona walked alongside Kid, glancing off to the side. Kid's hands were shoved deep into his pockets, his black sweater leaving nothing to the imagination. She could make out his toned, lean form behind the thin fabric, his muscles tensed.

"Did he give you any details about the procedure?"

His question seemed normal enough. "They're going to take a few of my blood samples and see if they could possibly find a way to either harden the victims' blood or extract the infection," She explained, allowing her eyes to stare off to the side blankly.

She remembered Maka calling it something... A 'crush.' Crona had a 'crush' on the young Shinigami. She didn't understand the entire concept of a 'crush' but she understood it well enough.

_"A crush is someone that you like, a lot. I've got a crush on Soul..."_

Crona stepped infront of the Shingami, eyes wide. "Have you seen Maka today?"

His golden eyes stared back into hers, his orbs widening,"No, I haven't."

_**All you need is one.**_

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**COUPLES/EXPLANATIONS:**  
**MakaxSoul**  
**MedusaxStein**  
**MedusaxSoul**  
**SteinxMarie**  
**SpiritxKami: I know that Kami and Spirit are divorced, but things shall be explained. Kami is also a bit of an OC due to the fact that she's never been shown.**  
**MifunexAngela: Think about it; Medusa and Arachne were alive 800 years prior to the start of the series. LOOK AT THEM. They look like young women. So, Angela was probably way older than she looked.**  
**Fem!CronaxKid: I know very well that Crona is a he/she and that she's portrayed as a male in the manga. In this story, everyone just assumed that Crona was a boy because of her assimilation with Ragnarok.**  
**TsubakixJustinLaw: Will be explained.**  
**GirikoxAzusa: Will be explained.**  
**FreexEruka: Don't act like you've never thought of it.**  
**BlackstarxPatti: Will be explained.**  
**SidxNygus: Will be explained.**


	2. Episode Two

**Just to warn you, I may not update again for a while. Progress reports go out at my school tomorrow and I am HORRIBLE at Algebra. -_- Anywho, please leave a comment! Sorry for any errors! R&R**

**_At this moment there are 6,470,818,671 people in the world._**

Kami entered the Death Room, not the least bit surprised when she was bombarded by Marie and Azusa, each of them seizing hold of her arms in an awkward embrace. Azusa had the faintest smile on her lips, something that was rare for the Death Scythe. The other Death Scythe had tears brimming her visible eye, a sad smile on her face.

As the two Death Scythes released her arms, she caught sight of a familiar, ghostly face in her mind. She'd reconize that face anywhere. Stein stood with his arms crossed, a cigarette hanging from his lips. His stitches provoked her, his glasses catching the light so that his eyes were shielded. There was no mistaking what they were both thinking: welcome back, my dear rival. Her eye twitched as she passed by him, a million ways to knock him on his rear streaming through her mind.

Was it odd for her to still hold a grudge against the man even after all this time?

Lord Death welcomed her with open arms, his voice happy and light. "Welcome back, Kami," He greeted, waving his blocky hands.

She'd certainly changed over the years, that much was certain.

Her blonde hair was boy-cut, the bangs falling over her eyes ever-so-slightly. Her green eyes caused them to think of her daughter. Her skin was pale and unblemished, with the acception of a scar that peeked out from beneath the collar of her shirt. She wore a navy blue sweater with sleves stopped just beneath her elbows. She wore a pair of black cargo pants, along with a pair of old, dark brown military boots. Kami's hands were covered by finger-less, black gloves and a gun was strapped onto her hip loosely.

"What happened?"

It was clear that she was speaking through gritted teeth, trying her very best not to raise her voice at the Shinigami. Even if she were to do so, the odds of Lord Death becoming angered were unlikely.

"It would appear that a mixture of Black Blood and Madness has been formed. It has undoubtedly become a plague, infecting Weapons and Meisters alike. We are currently working on developing a cure," He held his hands behind his back, watching as her expression remained. Of course she wouldn't be satisfied with that answer alone. It was evident who Maka had gotten her stubborness from. "It is causing for Meisters and Weapons to attack and, ultimately, try and infect one another or kill them. We're having to keep the infected subdued until further noticed. And, in the middle of this dilemma, Maka has gone missing. Based on what her partner told-"

"What do you mean 'Maka's missing'?! Spirit was supposed to be keeping an eye on her at all times! That was the deal for her staying with him! To think, I actually believed he-"

"No, Kami. It isn't Spirit's fault," Lord Death said, trying to calm the Meister. "He's been infected himself. He was one of the first to be infected, truth be told. Marie," He looked over at the Death Scythe, watching as her eyes darted from him to Kami expectantly. "Can you please take her to the infirmary?"

**_Some are running scared._**

Her lips curled into a frown as she examined herself in the mirror, her emerald eyes glaring daggers at herself. It was clear that the child had grown in the past few years.

Her chest was a bit larger, large enough for one to notice she actually had something there, in the very least. Her body had filled out, her curves coming in to leave a slender waist and wide hips. Thankfully, she didn't have any bulging muscles like several female students she'd treated at the DWMA had.

Medusa flicked a strand of annoying, dark, golden-blonde hair out of her face. Strangely, she'd only succeeded in changing the hair color of this particular host. Dark golden eyes and hair, tan skin. Her memories faded into that of Rachel's small body, her previous, child body... Not that she was referring to this body as an 'adult' one.

Maka wasn't done growing yet, not by a long shot. She glanced down at her chest, frowning at her attire. No. This wouldn't do. She'd have to get a better outfit the second she left the abandoned apartment building. Anything had to be better than the god-awful, bloodied attire that Maka was currently dressed in. Medusa grabbed a thick lock of Maka's hair, tugging on it lightly. She'd never been a fan of long hair. It got in the way of everything. She could still remember during her childhood when she would ask Arachne why she kept her hair so long, even in the summer days when everything was muggy and sticky.

'That's a nice thought.'

Medusa froze, her grip tightening on the lock of hair as the voice buzzed through her ears. How wonderful. The girl's soul was refusing to cave in on itself, just enough to knock it unconscious.

'I may have a small soul, but it's a strong one. I don't die that easily.'

A smirk grew onto the Witch's face,"I wasn't trying to kill you. I was trying to borrow your body, obviously."

'How is this borrowing?! I was possessed! I saw you die! You are, literally, a dead woman!'

"No," She spoke aloud, using Maka's young voice just to spite the girl just beneath the skin. "I never died. I don't die that easily." Her mocking tone sparked rage inside of Maka, but the girl pushed it down. The last thing she needed was for her to get into it with Medusa, while Medusa was in control of her body. It was actually a bit ironic, how she'd end up in the same body with the soul of the woman she hoped would burn in hell.

Medusa gathered Maka's thick hair in one hand, observing her ponytail in the mirror.

'You're never going to fool anyone. I'm far too recognizable. Just wait until you go outside. I'll bet that I'm recognized right off the bat.'

Pursing her lips together before smirking darkly, Medusa glanced at her reflection. "You have a point," She agreed. A loud, searing noise cut through the air as Medusa released Maka's hair a purple arrow shooting straight through the blonde locks. "Much better, eh?"

**_Some are coming home._**

Eruka woke with a start, glancing around at her surroundings as she sucked in a breath. She felt around for the werewolf, fear growing in her core.

"Ow! What the fuck was that? Tryin' to put my eye out or something?!"

"No," She mumbled, sighing in relief when she felt his hair beneath her fingertips. Noticing how weird it must have been to do just that alone, she yanked her hand away as though he'd bitten her. "I had a nightmare."

"Aww, do I need to tuck you back in?"

"Shut up, Free," She laid back on her side, choosing to ignore the immortal man that was laid out on the pallet next to her. "It was a serious dream."

"About what," He'd only said it in the hopes of silencing her. When it came to Eruka, it was best for her to talk about her problems rather than stay quiet about them.

"Medusa came back," Her voice was barely audible, but she heard the werewolf spring up off of his spot on the floor. She cringed at the sudden clashing of sounds. Eruka squeezed her eyes shut, but she knew that pretending to have fallen asleep wasn't going to work for her this time.

"What'd she do? Are you sure it was Medusa?"

"Positive," She said as if it were obvious. She slowly sat up, squinting in the darkness in search of her companion. She felt the urge to reach out and find him, but she was cautious of doing so. "She took control of another person and went on a killing spree. Scary, huh?"

The werewolf was utterly silent. She knew Free was thinking about Medusa now, the horrid witch that they'd agreed to work for. She didn't know why they'd decided to stick together, maybe the whole 'partners in crime' thing had finally hit them. Then again, they'd both grown used to one another, and maybe they'd formed a friendship over time.

"Are you okay," She called out, deciding to readying herself to stand on her pallet. She was suddenly aware of the man's prescence, sitting at the foot of her pallet, alert and staring off into the darkness. She wondered if he could hear her heartbeat, see her blushing face.

Was he seriously trying to protect her from the shadows themselves?

**_Some tell lies to make it through the day._**

If she'd told him once, she'd told him a million times. She honestly hadn't meant to blow the castle. In her defense, it was her castle. If she wanted to do some unexpected remodeling, she had every right to. Sure, they'd had to find a new place to live. And maybe they'd spent a good five months building a dojo-styled home in the middle of a cherry blossom forest in the hopes that she'd make it up to him. She just supposed the 'dojo idea' was the way to go when it came to fixing a bad situation with a samurai.

Here they were, sitting in the spacious, livingroom/kitchen of the home. Angela picked up one of the riceballs with her chopsticks, smiling to herself as a memory resurfaced.

He adjusted her small fingers on the chopsticks. She tried to pick up one of the dumplings, groaning when she failed again. "This is hard! And I'm hungry!" The Witch was growing impatient, longing to use a fork instead. He gave her a small smile and repositioned her fingers once more. "This isn't solving anything, Mif-"

She felt something hard between her chopsticks. Her eyes darted down to her patterned bowl, her eyes wide. Well, hell. She'd actually managed to use the darn chopsticks without stabbing Mifune.

"Couldn't you give me another lesson today? Ya know," She pointed at him with her wooden sticks. "The whole bending, twisting thingy?"

Mifune looked over at her from across the room, his eyes piercing from behind his sandy bangs. "Martail arts?"

"Yeah, that."

"You don't need to know martail arts to be a Witch, Angela. And last time it was merely me showing you how to do a backflip."

"So," She said, pouting as she set down her chopsticks. "I wanna be the first Martial-Witch."

"I'm positive that there's been at least a dozen of Witches that knew how to perform martail arts."

"Well, why can't I be the thirteenth?"

He sighed. Of course she'd guilt trip him. The next thing would be the silent treatment, and then would come the tears. The silent treatment, honestly, wasn't unbearable. It was actually quite refreshing. But he couldn't handle those silent tears, despite the fact that it was all an act on her part. Those tears always managed to pull on his heart strings, even if she didn't exactly look like a 'child' anymore.

"Fine," He said, watching as the Witch jumped up from her spot on her mat, a smile playing on her lips. "After I finish my meal." The Witch sighed and he smiled a bit.

Despite how eager she was to learn something new, he was the teacher and she was the student.

**_Others are just not facing the truth._**

She felt the needle pierce her skin. For the first time in her life, she was actually thankful for Ragnarok making a fuss about it. It felt good to know that if she wouldn't express her feelings about the situation, Ragnarok most certainly would. It was actually a bit funny, the way Ragnarok would harden the blood exactly where they planned to put the needle. But Nygus had another method.

All she had to do was give Ragnarok a couple of chocolate chip cookies and he let his guard down, even if only for a second. Strangely, once the needle had entered Crona's skin, it was as if her blood couldn't harden around it.

Crona didn't even feel the needle disappear from her body. She was too deep in thought to even keep up with the present event. Her head snapped up when Nygus began to speak. "You're done for today, Crona," She said soothingly, carefully placing the blood sample into a test tube. Crona slowly stood, giving herself and Ragnarok a good look at their blood once it had left their body. She had the urge to control it, make it return to her.

She exited the room in a hurry.

'No,' She thought to herself. 'That's not good. Not at all.'

She felt something small rubbing against the crown of her head. Ragnarok was just getting situated, reclaiming his spot on top of his odd Meister's head. "I can't believe you actually let them take some of our blood," Ragnarok complained, finally stopping his movements on Crona's head.

"It's not like I had a choice," Crona muttered so that only Ragnarok could hear them. The hallway was, however, empty. All of the students were either in hospital rooms, classrooms, their homes, or some confined space somewhere else.

"You did too," Ragnarok shot back, shifting his body a bit. "You just did it to impress that-"

"Crona?"

The girl froze entirely, as did Ragnarok. Slowly looking over her shoulder, Kid and Patti were revealed. Patti's eyes were puffy and red, she'd clearly cried all night. She tried to give a grin, but she wiped it off quickly, almost as if she was sending the wrong message. Whereas Kid looked worse for wear. It was clear that he hadn't gotten any sleep due to the drama, even if he didn't have dark circles beneath his eyes or lines at the corners of his lips. She could see the sleep in his eyes, the way they looked glossy despite his faint smile.

"The testing went swimmingly," She turned to continued walking away, a pink blush creeping onto her face as she scurried off.

"That's not what we wanted to talk to you about," She heard Kid's voice drawing closer until he and Patti were right behind her, practically breathing down her neck, or on Ragnarok at least. "No one has seen Maka since the plague broke out. The last any of us saw her, she was running down an alleyway in search of survivors."

Crona's heartbeat filled her ears, making her feel dizzy. Her entire world began to spin. "She's missing," Crona muttered, eyes wide as she stared blankly down the corridor.

"More or less," Kid said, finally walking on the left side of her with Patti on the right. "We suspect that she's been infected." Crona felt Ragnarok stiffen, although he'd never had the best relationship with her best friend. She felt her heartbeat quicken within her, causing her to tense.

"We're going to go look for her, right," Crona asked, although it came out as more of a statement. Her stern tone shocked herself and she glanced over at the young Shinigami and his Weapon. They both watched her with wide, mesmerized eyes. Shaking his head, Kid was the first to recover from his sudden bewilderment.

"By 'we,' I suppose you're referring to me, along with Patti and Soul," Kid said, watching as Crona's eyes narrowed a bit.

"No. I-"

"You can't go with us. Too dangerous. You're our only chance of getting a cure for the plague. Tsubaki's being sent off to Europe to find answers as to where the plague broke out," Kid fell into the lead, Patti following closely behind the Meister. "And we're going to look for Maka first thing tomorrow."

Crona watched as the two of them entered one of the many doorways in the corridor. Crona merely stared downt the hallway, starstruck.

After all the things she and Maka had been through, she'd have to wait on the sidelines and play the role of a lab rat rather than search for her friend.

**_Some are evil men, at war with good._**

A shiver ran down Tsubaki's spine as she walked through a cobweb. A small shriek left her lips as she tumbled backwards, swatting at the air and her body alike. Squeezing her eyes shut, she counted her breaths.

"Damn it," She muttered under her breath with a sigh. The entire situation; the plague, Blackstar, and Maka's disappearance; had her on edge. She'd stayed awake all night, which was the worst thing she could've done before a long journey like the one she was currently taking part in.

Not only that, but she felt unguarded without someone else with her as she wandered around the forest. The soldiers were all busy guarding the academy, and Blackstar had been subdued along with several of the other students. She felt tears prick her eyes and she brought her hands up to swipe them away with a frown. "C'mon," She assured herself out loud, clenching her weak hands into trembling fists. "You can handle this, Tsubaki. This is n-nothing."

Her voice began to break and her knees felt weak. Slouching against a slender, white and gray tree, she began coughing. Her entire world did a cartwheel and she leaned over, choking on her own air. As though the pain turned a key in her heart, the tears broke free and she fell to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her head.

Sobbing as though her heart would break, Tsubaki was bombarded by her own thoughts. Death City, plague. Maka, missing. Blackstar, infected. She finally released a strangled cry, slamming her fists on the ground as she argued with herself.

"You're not going to get anywhere if you don't woman up and get a move on," She yelled at herself, pulling herself off of the ground with the help of low tree limbs. She knew she wouldn't have broken into a million pieces like that in front of anyone, and she knew that everyone would break into a million pieces if she didn't hurry.

And some are good, struggling with evil.

Soul walked through the streets of Death City, double-checking every corner for the fourth time. She had to be somewhere in Death City. It wasn't like the virus was luring people out of the city, not that it'd be very good if Maka had been infected. But he'd rather know she was still alive, rather than being left in the dark about the entire dilemma.

In his right hand, he clutched onto the bloodied glove that he'd found not a mile away from where they'd wrestled Liz to the ground. He frowned suddenly, tightening his grip on the glove. If he hadn't stayed behind to help Kid and Patti deal with Liz, he may very well have been walking down the streets with Maka at that very moment. He violently shook his head. He'd done the right thing by helping his two friends deal with the eldest Thompson sister.

Sighing, he finally moved into the west side of the city. As if welcoming him, he was greeted by immediate information.

An unconscious Kim Diehl was being pulled away on a dark red stretcher, her pink hair matted and her body covered in bloody splotches. She was, however, covered in what looked to be soot, forming grayish-black marks on her clothing. Jacqueline O' Lantern was being strapped down on a cot, her teeth bared as she screeched like a banshee, fighting against her restraints. One of the soldier's plunged a needle into her bare arm, pressing down on the plunge so that the liquid rocketed into her body. She immediately went limp, her eyes fluttering shut.

As Soul walked further into the space, he realized that a large building had been burnt to ashes, leaving it in dust-covered ruins.

But that wasn't what caught his attention. It was the little girl hovering close to a woman with light, scarlet hair. The child was babbling about a girl with blonde hair and green eyes that had swept her off the street like a superhero.

If that didn't scream 'Maka,' he didn't know what did.

He scurried over to the pair, urgency growing within him as he approached the two. "What's this about a blonde girl?" He knew he may have sounded awfully rude, but his Meister was missing. He was surprising himself with how desperate he was for answers now.

**_Six billion people in the world._**

Marie towel-dried her orange-tinted hair, frowning as she heard a knock on the stitched door. "Stein," She called out, trying her best to hide her attitude. Needless to say, she was having a bad day. "I'm not staying at home tomorrow. Or the next day... Or however long until this plague blows over. I'm not staying inside, whether you like it or not."

"Optimistic much?"

She smiled a bit at his smart ass comment. She let her towel drop to the floor, reaching over to grab her t-shirt off of the counter. They'd decided to turn in early, so that they could get an early start on the next day. Those were her intentions, at least. Stein's may have been,'get home, try to convince her, go to bed early, wake up early, lock doors and leave.'

"What do you want," She finally asked, pulling the shirt over her head and sighing.

"I found another reason for you to stay home."

She tensed, glaring at the doorknob angrily. She opened her mouth to object, but Stein, as though he could see her lips parting to let the words flow, spoke up.

"It seems that the plague isn't targeting people who've already come in contact with Black Blood. However, if it does manage to infect one of them, the Black Blood looks as though it is more stable in their bodies, as though it's immune."

Marie finally opened the bathroom door, a gust of warm air hitting Stein, along with steam. He took off his glasses and wiped off the steam, glaring into the mist in search of his current Weapon. When he put his glasses back on, he saw Marie standing in the bathroom doorway, hands on her hips and smirking.

Clad in a white, baggy t-shirt and black sweats, she looked extraordinarily intimidating. "Stein," She said in a sing-song voice, her words slowly fading. "I haven't come in contact with Black Blood."

**_Six billion souls._**

Liz's body visibly shook and Patti pulled up the blanket a bit more.

"If you pull that blanket any higher, you're going to suffocate her," Kid joked lightly, although his voice was distant and strangely serious. Patti immediately yanked down her sister's bed sheets, worry flashing across her face. She watched as Kid slowly tugged the covers up a bit more, until they covered Liz's body from the waist down. "I don't think she'll run out of oxygen as long as it's like this."

Patti gave a sharp nod, taking note of the gesture in her mind. She'd have to keep track of all the smart things she saw anyone perform for her sister's well-being. She was sure that if she took enough notes, she'd be able to fix her sister as if she were nothing more than a broken record. A new horror came into Patti's young mind; she had no idea how to fix a broken record.

She watched as Kid slowly eased into the chair across the room, his back hunched as he ran his fingers through his striped bangs, brows knitted together in thought. Patti, finding an opportunity to observe herself, slipped off into the small bathroom of the hospital room.

Her eyes were red-rimmed and shaded circles had come in below her eyes. Her right cheek still had pillow creases in it from the extremely short nap she'd taken after they'd left Crona in the hallway. Patti had been woken by her Meister, his hands grabbing her shoulders as he tried to shake her awake from a nightmare. She couldn't remember it, but it was bad enough for the nurse to have to come in to calm down both her and her hysterical Meister. She remembered waking with a racing heart and wet face, as well as a sore throat.

The lavender and gray-striped strap of her halter top had begun sliding over her shoulder. She'd taken off her hat until further notice. Liz's had fallen off in her rant. Patti had pleaded with Soul to pick up the hat while he was wandering the streets, in which he agreed to do. It just didn't feel right to her to wear her hat when her sister wasn't wearing her own.

It hit Patti that Kid hadn't once throw a tantrum about her and Liz's symmetry. Perhaps Kid had been so busy that he forgot about symmetry for the time being?

**_And sometimes..._**

She landed a solid kick in his side, but it didn't faze him one bit. He swept his leg beneath her own pair, causing her to fall on her behind once again. "Would you stop that," She spat, pouting. Her entire body was sore from all the falls she'd taken. Of course, Mifune acted as though nothing had happened each time. Maybe it seemed as though nothing happened in the world of the samurai, but in the world of the Witch, the ground was extremely hard after she'd fallen on it for the sixth time.

The sun had nearly disappeared entirely over the horizon, leaving them to bask in a sunset oragne glow. She watched as he held out his hand to her, but she scowled and pulled herself up, turning her head to the side in order to avoid his kind gesture all together. She scattered a few feet back, still glaring in the opposite direction.

"Woah," Mifune joked, something that came in extremely rare moments of geniune care. "Looks like someone's big enough to pick herself back up."

She gave a small smile, as did her friend. She knew exactly what he was doing. This was one of the activities where he tried to teach her how to defend herself, in the hopes of her passing his 'requirements.' She frowned at the mere thought.

Angela knew exactly what was going to happen if she ever met his requirements. He'd pack up and leave. At first, she hadn't believed he would abandon her just like that, but as the years went by, she realized that he was merely awaiting the day she was capable of caring for herself. Sure, she didn't want to be a burden, but she certainly didn't want for him to leave. He was her best friend!

"-again?"

She snapped her head back in Mifune's direction, eyes wide,"Eh?" He gave a low chuckle, walking towards her, he smiled.

"I said, do you want to try again," He repeated, staring down at her expectantly. As his words soaked in, she stuck out her tounge.

"Just so you can knock me on my ass again, I don't think so," She said, watching as he smiled.

"Language," He reminded her, making her laugh as well.

Watching him laugh from the corner of her eye, she slowly turned and kicked him sharply in the side, catching him off guard. Out of reflex, he grabbed hold of her leg, but she put all of her weight, even if that wasn't much, into it. As a result, Angela flew off of her feet and Mifune slid on the grass.

He hit the ground, hard, Angela landing ontop of him.

Straddling his waist, a blush spreading over her cheeks as well as his, she stated,"The bigger they are, the harder they fall, right? Or is that just for getting back up?" She offered a faint smile, although it was clear that her breaths were shaky and her head was spinning from the fall, as well as the landing.

**_All you need is one._**


End file.
